Wrench



P. WAREHAM AND J. G. McDOWELL.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5.1919.

1,330,666. Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

Pei cy Zl/areham Jay McDowell vwemtozs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. l

PERCY WAREI-IAM AND JAY GRIFFITH MCDOWELL, OF- SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA.

WRENCH.

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that we, PERcY VvAREI-IAM and JAY G. MCDOWELL, citizens of the United States, residing at Sharon, in the county of Mercer, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Wrench, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in wrenches, the object of the invention being to provide an improved wrench which is capable of instant adjustment to, the work.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wrench of the character set forth having a slidable jaw which is adjusted to the work under spring tension and held in adjusted position by means of ratchet teeth under the control of the operator.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and combination of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved wrench, the handle being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3 s of Fig. 1.

The same characters of reference designate the same parts in the different figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates a head having a stationary aw 3, which is secured to or formed integral with a hollow stock or handle 4:. An operating lever 5 is adapted to slide in the handle and is provided adjacent to its rear end with an up standing lug carrying at its upper end a ring-shaped portion 6 for convenience in operating the lever, the hollow handle having a recess at its end communicating with the interior of the handle to permit the lug on the lever to slide in said handle, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The lever is provided with ratchet teeth 7 at its front end, which are adapted to hold the movable jaw in working position as hereinafter described. A guide opening 8 is formed in the metal of the head and extends across the end of the hollow handle between the stationary jaw and the handle. The movable jaw comprises an L-shaped member provided with Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

Application filed June 5, 1919. Serial No. 301,953.

the jaw 9, having its gripping face lying in a plane parallel with that of the stationary jaw, and an arm 10 at right angles to said jaw and connected therewith by a narrow neck portion 11, the arm being adapted to slide within the opening 8 formed in the head, said opening communicating with a slot 12 formed in the head, the side walls of the slot being adapted to engagethe neck portion of the movable jaw to assist in guiding the same. For preventing the arm 10 from being completely withdrawn from the head, a rivet 13 may be secured across the end of the slot 12, thereby to limit the movement ofthe jaw 9 away from the stationary jaw 3. The arm 10 is provided with ratchet teeth 14L formed on its rear sideand adapted to cooperate with the ratchet teeth on the end of the lever 5, the ratchet teeth being so formed as to hold the movable jaw against movement away from the stationary jaw when the teeth are in engagement.

A helical spring 15 is provided in the present instance for adjusting the jaws to the work. The spring is connected at the rear end thereof to a lug 16 formed on the upper side of the handle, its opposite end being connected by means of a flexible metal cord 17 with a screw 18 threaded into the lower end of the arm 10, said cord passing through a channel 19 formed in the head for that purpose. The upper side of the handle, at the place where the spring is located, is formed so as to provide the lower portion of a housing for the spring, while a cover member 20 is provided, so formed as to cooperate with said lower housing to completely inclose the spring, said cover member being secured to the head by means of a screw 21 and having its rear end bifurcated and adapted to straddle the lug 16 and engage a rivet 22 that passes transversely through said lug.

The operation of the wrench is as follows: The handle is taken hold of in the usual manner and the little finger of the operator passed through the ring 6 and the rear end of the lever slightly raised, the opening in the handle being sufliciently large to permit such movement, whereupon the lever is slid back until its lug engages the rivet 23 secured across the recess in the upper portion of the handle to limit the backward movement of the lever. The movable jaw is then moved away from the stationary jaw as far as it will go, and upon moving the lever 5 forward its teeth will engage those of the arm 10 and retain the movable jaw in its extended position. The wrench is then applied to the work and if the jaws are too far apart the rear end of the lever is slightly raised and withdrawn as above described, whereupon the tension of the spring will instantly draw the 'slidable jaw into contact with the work in a manner which will be readily understood. The lever is then pushed forward so as to place its teeth into engagement with those of the arm 10, and the lever held against retraction by keeping the little finger in the ring 6 and exerting suflicient pressure thereon to cause the lug 24 formed on the underside of the lever to remain in the depression formed in the handle for that purpose.

While we have described in detail the structure herein illustrated, it is to be understood that we do not thereby limit our invention to the precise features of construction shown, as we are aware that many mechanical changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claim hereto appended.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

A wrench including a hollow handle, a head formed at one end of the handle, a jaw integral with the head, said head having a transverse opening extending therethrough, a movable jaw within the opening of the head, said movable jaw being provided with ratchet teeth, an operating lever provided with ratchet teeth on one end thereof, said operating lever adapted to slide within and longitudinally of the hollow handle, for moving the teeth thereof into cooperation with the ratchet teeth of the movable jaw, and spring means secured to the outer wall of the hollow handle, and flexible means connecting the spring means with the movable jaw, for moving the movable jaw toward the stationary jaw.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

PERCY WAREHAM. JAY GRIFFITH MoDOWELL.

Witnesses:

IRA B. MONEAL, GEORGE A. MCDOWELL. 

